Alys Prosser is one of the newest entertainers hired by Latch for the children on Rainbow Ward. She dresses up as Disney Princess and sings songs from the popular movies and shows, and her sparkling outfits and sensational voice have proved incredibly popular with the patients and staff alike. Alys, now 23, was herself treated on Rainbow Ward in 2007 when she was just 4 years old, and took some time to sit down with us to talk about her own treatment and what it means to her to be able to perform on the paediatric oncology ward.
Diagnosis
‘I was diagnosed on February 15th 2007 with an astrocytoma on the cerebellum and metastasises on the spinal column. When I was diagnosed the doctor tried to explain it to me, but they had to dumb it down a bit for me being only four. They explained it as little trees in my spine, that if they grew, would become tumours.’
‘I'm very lucky in the respect that because I was so young when I had treatment, I don't really remember the negative times. Partly I think because Latch worked so hard to create these positive experiences for me. I remember we took a trip to London once; we went to the houses of Parliament, we had a garden party in Downing Street which was really cool, and my favourite of all time, we met Shenkin, the Queen's royal goat! I loved him, he was amazing, and he was definitely the highlight of the trip for me.’
‘I know my parents worked really hard to make sure that treatment was as positive an experience as it could be for me. I had a best friend called Jasmine who was going through treatment at the same time, and my Mum would always paint flowers onto our heads to make us feel pretty and comfortable with our bald heads which was really nice and I loved that. So, whilst we were painting our little doodles she was doodling on her heads which was lovely.’
Life After Treatment
‘All of my treatment and surgery left me with some nerve ending damage in my right foot and some weakness on my right side. I remember when I was first getting back into ballet after treatment it was really hard. I was really frustrated, like why can I suddenly not do these things that I used to be able to do fine no problem. Especially balancing, that was a huge one. So that was definitely a challenge with getting back into dancing. It takes me a bit more time, which can be very frustrating for me and for others. But I’m patient, and luckily, I'm a very determined person, so I get there.’
‘I never really got along with school, it wasn’t for me, but I’ve always loved drama. I've been obsessed as long as I can remember. Even when I was ill, my parents were like, gosh, you just can't wait to get back to dance and drama and everything. I knew from a very young age that that's what I wanted to do, and I just had tunnel vision for it. So, after school I went and did a diploma 2 and 3 in performing and production arts, and then I was lucky enough to be able to go to LMA and do my bachelors in Musical Theatre. I graduated last Summer, and I think my family was pretty surprised. So was I. I don’t think anyone thought I would go to Uni, let alone graduate with honours.
‘Since I’ve graduated, I’ve completed two professional dance contracts, started my own business where I dress up and perform as Disney Princesses, and even worked as one of Santas elves. That was really amazing as when I was on treatment, my gift from Dreams and Wishes was to go and meet Santa in the North Pole, so it was amazing to go back and give back and be a part of that experience I remember so much from when I was younger.’
Working with Latch
‘I’ve always wanted to come back and perform as a Princess for Latch. I started doing it when I was about 18, and I knew as soon as I did, I wanted to come and do it for the kids on the ward. My love for performing very much stems from being able to spread the joy and make people smile. So as soon as I started my own company and I was able to, I jumped at the opportunity to come back. Being able to give back and see the smiles on all of their little faces is just so rewarding and amazing. It makes me so happy.
‘Obviously, going through treatment, it’s a very, very hard time in life. But it is very important to remember, because you will have days where you feel awful, that this diagnosis and this journey does not define or limit you in any way and you're literally capable of doing anything you put your mind to. Keep strong, have faith, be an amazing person and that'll get you through.’
Alys will be back on the ward today for our end of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month Party to celebrate and sing with all of the children on Rainbow Ward, before she laces up her running shoes to take on the Cardiff Half Marathon on Sunday, raising money and awareness for Latch.
